dashdot vs Heimdall
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted dashboards & startpages options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Heimdall
Simple application dashboard and launcher
| Feature | dashdot | Heimdall |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 85 · Excellent | 92 · Excellent |
| Category | Dashboards & Startpages | Dashboards & Startpages |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,547 | ★ 9,330 |
| First released | 2022 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Heimdall | Heimdall |
What are dashdot and Heimdall?
dashdot
dashdot is a simple, modern server dashboard that displays live system resource usage like CPU, memory, storage, and network. It targets users wanting a clean overview of one machine. It is deployed via Docker.
- Live CPU, RAM and storage graphs
- Clean modern interface
- Network and OS info
- Single-container deploy
Heimdall
Heimdall is a simple dashboard for organizing all your web applications and links in one place with enhanced app tiles. It targets users who want an easy, no-frills start page. It is deployed via Docker.
- Simple app tile dashboard
- Enhanced tiles with live data
- Search bar integration
- Easy to use
dashdot vs Heimdall: key differences
Dashdot is written in TypeScript, while Heimdall is built with PHP. Dashdot is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Heimdall. Heimdall is the more established project (first released 2017), while dashdot arrived in 2022. Heimdall has the considerably larger community, at 9,330 GitHub stars versus 3,547.
Why pick each one
Choose dashdot if…
- Attractive design
- Lightweight
- Zero config
Watch out for
- Single host only
- Resource view, not app launcher
Choose Heimdall if…
- Very simple to set up
- Clean look
- Low maintenance
Watch out for
- Limited widgets
- Slow development pace
Frequently asked questions
Is dashdot or Heimdall better?
Neither is universally better. Heimdall has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are dashdot and Heimdall free and open-source?
Yes. dashdot is licensed under MIT and Heimdall under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run dashdot and Heimdall with Docker?
dashdot: yes. Heimdall: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, dashdot or Heimdall?
dashdot has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Heimdall. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.